


A Crush for Christmas

by gluedwithgold



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21951538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gluedwithgold/pseuds/gluedwithgold
Summary: Jensen goes home to the small town he grew up in for Christmas for the first time in years. He's convinced it's a huge mistake until has a not-so-spontaneous reunion with someone from high school.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 10
Kudos: 148





	A Crush for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kelleigh (girlfromcarolina)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlfromcarolina/gifts).



> Written for spn_j2_xmas exchange on LiveJournal. 
> 
> Gift for Kelleigh!  
> I hope you like it, darlin'! I'm sorry it's so late. And so short. And I hope it's good, which it may not be since I just kind of blurted it out. You deserve so much more because you're a wonderful, lovely human being!  
> (There's room for it to grow, so who knows, maybe I'll get my writing mojo back and turn it into a real, actual story!)

It was nearly nine thirty when Jensen finally stepped out into the cool air from the airport. He considered briefly calling his parents for a ride, but that would ruin the surprise. He looked around to find exactly zero cabs waiting. Great. Pulling out his phone, he opened his Lyft app, and was not at all surprised to find no drivers available nearby. He just loved small towns. No wonder he hadn’t been back for so many years. 

He shouldered his bag again and went back inside, scanning the lobby for a rental car desk. Just as he was headed to the Hertz desk, his phone chimed in his hand - a text from Danneel. 

_ Tell me you’re finally here – I need a drink. _

Jensen smirked and breathed a sigh of relief as he started typing out a reply. 

_ First round is on me if you come pick me up from the airport. Flight was delayed, I just got in.  _

It was less than a minute later when the response popped up. 

_ Be there in 30. _

Jensen typed a quick ‘thanks’, tucked his phone back in his pocket and went back outside to wait. He was starting to think this trip home for Christmas was a huge mistake, given how much trouble he’d had getting here, but at least he’d get to see Danni. 

An hour later Danneel was pulling into a parking space on Main Street in front of one of just three bars in town – although for a town this small that was actually a lot. The sign hanging above the door and swinging gently in the breeze read “JT’s Pub & Grub”. Not the most creative name, but at least there was hope for food after a long day of wandering around airports. 

Jensen pulled the door open and let Danni step inside first, following her into the dimly lit bar. It was nice inside, all dark wood and amber lighting. One side of the long, narrow space was lined with booths, the benches with high backs to provide some privacy between tables. There was a line of high tops down the center of the room, and a huge, long bar on the other side. It was decorated for the holiday with strands of greenery and strings of white lights, glass ornaments dangling from the light fixtures. It was just enough to be festive and inviting without getting garish like most places ended up being this time of year. 

“Have a seat anywhere, I’ll be right with you,” said a waitress carrying a tray of drinks as she breezed by them. Danni made a beeline for one of the empty booths, and Jensen slid into the seat across from her. They’d just pulled off their jackets when the waitress returned. “What can I get for you guys?” 

“I’ll have a beer, whatever’s on tap, and an order of fries,” Danni said, obviously familiar with the place. The waitress nodded and jotted down her order, then turned to Jensen.

“How about you, gorgeous?” 

Jensen felt his cheeks heat up and resisted rolling his eyes. 

“A cheeseburger, medium rare, fries and an IPA, please.” 

“You got it,” she said, smiling at Jensen before walking away. 

“Well, I see Jensen ‘The Face’ Ackles is still a thing after all these years,” Danneel said, a smirk twisting up her lips. Jensen glared at her. 

“I’m so glad I came home for the holidays.” He didn’t resist rolling his eyes this time, and got a snicker out of Danni for his effort. “I seriously don’t understand how you can still live here. It’s just so  _ small _ .”

“It’s not so bad, Jensen. There are tons of people all over the world who don’t live in cities, you know.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I just hate feeling like I stick out. The city lets me be anonymous. Just another face in the crowd.” Jensen shrugged. He’d never looked back once he got out of this town, and hadn’t even visited since he graduated college five years ago. 

“You’re just not cut out for small town life, are you,  _ gorgeous _ ?” Danni burst out laughing at the glare Jensen shot across the table at her. The waitress reappeared then, setting two pint glasses of beer in front of them. 

“Your food will be up in just a few minutes. Can I get you anything else?” the waitress said as she set a few bottles of condiments in the center of the table. 

“I think we’re all set, thanks,” Jensen said, looking up and giving the waitress a smile and a nod. Just as he was turning back to his beer, something caught his eye across the room. 

Standing behind the bar drying glasses with a towel was the most gorgeous man Jensen had ever seen. He was tall enough that he seemed to tower over the bar. He had long, shaggy chestnut-colored hair that curled at the ends and flopped into his face as he moved. And he wore a tight white t-shirt with the bar’s logo splashed across his chest that did nothing to hide his broad shoulders and defined pecs. His biceps seemed to reflect the overhead light as he worked the towel around the glasses, making it seem like a beacon drawing Jensen’s eyes to the rolling and flexing of the muscles….

“Earth to Jensen!” Danni was snapping her fingers in front of Jensen’s face, which suddenly felt about fifty degrees hotter than it had a second ago. Jensen raised his eyebrow at her. “Geez, where did you go? Mars?” 

“No, I honestly didn’t even leave the bar,” Jensen said, glancing back across the room to see the bartender putting the glasses away, reaching up to the shelf over the bar so his t-shirt rode up, revealing a strip of smooth skin and an enticing peek of the band of his underwear. Jensen jerked his attention back to the booth before he got lost again. Danneel was just turning back, too, having followed his glance. The smirk on her lips turned into a full-on grin. “What?” 

“Things never change,” Danni said, shaking her head as she lifted her beer to take a sip. 

“True, I’m still 100% gay. This shouldn’t be surprising.” 

“No, I mean things really never change,” Danni said, still grinning.

“What are you talking about?” Jensen cocked an eyebrow at her. 

“You don’t recognize him?” 

“Should I?” Jensen’s heart thumped in his chest with a sudden burst of anxiety about who this guy was. He looked back over at the bartender, trying to match his face to anyone in his memory. He snapped his attention back when Danni started giggling. 

“Senior year. You. Pining over the cute boy all year but never making a move because you didn’t have the balls. Ring any bells?” 

Jensen looked back at the bartender and felt the blood drain from his face as recognition swept over him. 

“No way.  _ That’s _ Jared?” Jensen took a swig of his beer, but his mouth still felt dry. 

“One and the same,” Danneel said, smug. Something about the look on her face set off alarm bells in Jensen’s head. 

“You brought me here on purpose, didn’t you?” Jensen shot her a narrow-eyed glare. Just then the waitress stepped up to the booth and started setting their plates of food down on the table. 

“Here you go guys, enjoy,” she said, tucking her tray under her arm. “Kitchen’s closing up, and I’m headed out for the night. Anything else I can get you before I go?” 

“I think we’re all set, thank you,” Danneel said, plucking a french fry from her plate and popping it in her mouth. 

“Great, well enjoy your meal. If you need a refill on your drinks, Jared will be happy to help you over at the bar. Take care now!” The waitress smiled and turned to leave. Jensen had a distinct feeling that Danneel wouldn’t be the one to order their second round of drinks. When he looked back at her, she’d put on her patented innocent angel face. 

“I hate you, you know that?” Jensen said, then picked up his burger and bit into it. 

“Boy, these fries sure are making me thirsty,” Danneel said, lifting her glass and taking a long drink. Jensen growled and continued eating his burger. 

***

By the time they’d both finished their food, Danneel’s glass had been empty for a while, but Jensen was nursing his. They’d been arguing about who was going to go up for refills for the past ten minutes, and finally, admitting defeat, Jensen threw his napkin onto his plate and slid out of the booth. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, then made his way to the bar. 

After eleven on a Thursday in a small town wasn’t exactly prime drinking time, so there were only a handful of other patrons, and Jensen didn’t have to wait to get Jared’s attention. He was torn between hoping Jared didn’t recognize him, and praying for a reunion. Jared had been a few years behind him in school, but their circles of friends overlapped anyway, so they’d been acquainted enough to chat whenever they ran into each other. Jensen figured it was a fifty-fifty chance Jared would remember him. 

“Hey there!” Jared said with a bright, dimpled smile. Jensen had forgotten about those damned dimples. Shit. “What can I get ya?” 

Jensen swallowed hard, then cleared his throat. 

“A lager and an IPA, thanks.” Jensen gave Jared a quick smile, then ducked his head, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet and busying himself with pulling out cash while Jared filled two pint glasses. Jensen noticed his hands were shaking as he slid a twenty onto the bar. Jared set the glasses down in front of Jensen and swiped the bill off the counter, turning around to the register to make change. Jensen couldn’t help that his eyes landed on the backside of Jared’s well-fitted jeans that just so happened to show off a pert, well-toned ass. He was berating himself for acting like a teenager again when the light knock on the wood of the bar where Jared set his change jerked him back to the present. He took the ten, sliding the two singles forward to Jared, then reached for the beers. 

“Thanks, Jensen.” Jared saying his name sent a shockwave through Jensen’s body, and he looked up. Dimples again. And they were framing an impish grin. He was going to murder Danneel. 

Back at the booth, Jensen set the glasses down, then dropped back into his seat with a whump. He covered his face with his hands, then drew them back through his hair. When he looked up, Danneel was smiling sweetly at him. 

“Danni, why are you doing this to me?” 

“Because. I love you. And as much as I love you, you’re helpless when it comes to romance, so it’s my job to move things along.” 

Jensen leaned back and let his head thump against the back of the bench. He was going to need to be intoxicated to deal with this, but that would require more trips to the bar. Maybe murder was too quick for his friend. Torture might be the way to go. 

***

Danni took pity on Jensen and went up to get their third round a while later. When she came back with the drinks, she dropped them off at the table then excused herself to the restroom, leaving Jensen alone to wallow in his misery. As much as he hated all of this, he had to admit Danneel was right. He never took the initiative when it came to dating. He’d always waited for guys to ask him out, leaving himself the option of accepting or declining. With the exception of a few drunken hookups in college, he’d never let his interest in anyone show. He was wondering how many great guys he’d missed out on over the years when someone – not Danni – slipped into the booth opposite him. 

“So, how’ve you been, Jensen? It’s been a really long time.” Jared smiled, taking a drink from the glass of soda he’d brought with him. Jensen mimicked the move, taking a long pull from his beer before answering. 

“Good. I’ve been good. New York is awesome. Career’s going well.” 

“Yeah? What’d you end up doing?” 

“Advertising. Design.” Jensen took another swallow of beer. “How about you?” 

“Really good. Business school. Came back here and opened up this place. I’m loving life, man. I’m my own boss. Making a good living.” 

“That’s great, Jared. Really great.” 

“Ah, so you  _ do  _ remember who I am.” Jared chuckled. 

“Wh- well, yeah. Of course I do.” Jensen felt himself blush. He watched as Jared took another drink, watched his throat work as he swallowed. 

“Did you know I had the biggest crush on you in high school?” Jared ducked his head slightly, enough to make a few locks of hair fall across his eyes. 

“What? You did?” Jensen had to consciously remind himself to close his mouth after speaking so he wasn’t sitting there, staring slack-jawed. 

“Yeah, I was so gone for you my sophomore year. Figured there was no way a senior would be into me, so that just fed all my teenaged angst. Good times,” Jared said with a chuckle. 

Jensen looked up at Jared from where he’d been staring at the wood grain of the table. Jared’s cheeks had gone pink, the tips of his ears, too. 

“I… um,” Jensen cleared his throat, gulped down some more of his beer. “I kinda… well, I totally had a thing for you back then, too.” 

“Wow,” Jared said, eyes wide and a smile bringing out his dimples again. “We’re kinda dumb, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Jensen huffed a laugh. “I guess we were.” 

Just then Danni reappeared at the booth, and Jared quickly slid out of her seat. 

“Hey, Danni,” Jared said, smiling softly and giving her shoulder a quick rub. “It’s good to see you, Jensen. I’ll see you guys later.” 

With that, Jared turned and made his way back behind the bar. Danni followed him with her gaze, glancing back at Jensen every few seconds like her head was on a swivel. 

“Well?” she asked expectantly, waving her hand in an ‘out with it’ gesture. 

“I am and always have been an idiot,” Jensen said. 

“Okay, I knew that, but why this time?” 

“He liked me in high school, too. I could have…” Jensen sighed. “You know what, nevermind. Regret is useless. Tell me about this Matt guy you’ve been seeing.” 

Jensen picked the right topic to change the subject to, because Danni started rattling off about her new boyfriend and he was able to forget about Jared and high school and just enjoy being with his friend again. 

***

It was just past midnight when they’d both drained their glasses for the third and final time. Jensen didn’t want to drink any more than he already had, since he was going to have to be extra quiet in order to sneak into his parents house without waking them and scaring the crap out of them. And Danni had to work in the morning, so they decided to call it a night. They stood up and pulled their coats on, both of them waving to Jared over at the bar and heading toward the door. 

As Jensen was holding the door open for Danni, Jared called out from across the room. 

“Jensen, hey – hold up a second.” Jared tossed away the rag he’d been wiping down the bar with and hurried over to the door. “Hey, how long are you in town for?” 

“Oh, I’m headed back after New Year’s.”

“I’ll get the car started,” Danneel said, smirking as she slipped through the door to the street. 

“Awesome, that’s great. I… well, I throw a New Year’s party here every year – it’s pretty low-key, but it’s fun. Would you want to come?” 

“Yeah, that sounds good. Danneel will probably come, too, I bet…” 

“No, I mean…” Jared ducked his head for a second, and that pink flush was back when he lifted it again. “I’m not working it, I meant… as my date?” 

“Oh!” Jensen’s face flushed hot. “Yeah, I mean… yeah that sounds great.” 

“Yeah? Great.” Jared exhaled sharply. “So great. I’ll pick you up? You’re staying at your folks’ place, right?” 

“I am. That’ll be good.” Jensen clasped his hands together in front of him, wringing them together. 

“Good. That’s good. I can’t wait.” Jared was shifting his weight from foot to foot, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Okay, so I’ll see you then,” Jensen said, pausing a moment before starting to step through the door. But then there was a hand on his shoulder, and Jared was there, impossibly close, his warmth seeping through Jensen’s jacket and layers of clothes. Everything slowed as Jared leaned in, seconds feeling like minutes until their lips met. Then there was a hand at the back of Jensen’s head, fingers sliding through the short hair there, and Jensen’s hands were at Jared’s waist, tugging with fistfuls of denim to close what little distance was left between them. Their lips began a slow slide, heads tilting so their mouths slotted together just right, lips parting, tongues meeting, breaths gasping. In reality it was probably just a few seconds, but it felt like the world stopped for hours to Jensen. 

When they finally broke the kiss, Jensen looked up at Jared with his pink flushed cheeks and spit slick lips, dimples digging deep as he smiled wide. Jensen’s own smile threatened to crack his face if it got any wider. His heart was pounding hard in his chest. 

“I’ll see you then, Jensen.” Jared leaned forward and kissed Jensen once more, just a quick, soft peck, then stepped back and turned to go back to the bar. Jensen’s head was spinning, but he somehow managed to turn himself around toward the exit and make his way outside, his head floating. Maybe this trip wasn’t a huge mistake after all. 


End file.
